Juliana Kagwa has been designated as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB). She succeeds Lilly Ajarova, who has taken on the role of senior presidential advisor after serving as the board’s CEO since January 10, 2019.
Before joining UTB, Kagwa served as the Group Sales Marketing Director at Seed Co Group, a South African company. Previously, she held the position of Director of Corporate Relations at Diageo, further honing her expertise in marketing and corporate relations.
The UTB recently advertised the CEO vacancy in January, seeking a highly qualified individual with a bachelor’s degree in Tourism, Economics, Business Administration, or a related discipline. Applicants were expected to possess a minimum of seven years’ experience in tourism, hospitality, or marketing, along with demonstrable senior management skills. The ideal candidate was to have a comprehensive understanding of the tourism sector, including expertise in marketing, product development, and stakeholder engagement, as well as strong leadership, strategic thinking, and a results-driven focus.
Based at the UTB headquarters in Kampala, the CEO will report directly to the Board of Directors. The role entails supervising the Deputy CEO, managers, and the Senior Internal Auditor. Key responsibilities include executing the Strategic Plan, promoting Uganda as a prominent tourist destination, cultivating partnerships, overseeing financial management and procurement processes, and ensuring compliance with established industry standards.
This position demands frequent travel and long working hours, underlining the need for a sustained commitment to UTB’s mission of growing Uganda’s tourism sector sustainably.
Juliana Kagwa brings a wealth of experience from her extensive career in marketing and management. Her previous roles include serving as Marketing Director at Uganda Breweries Limited, Country Manager at Heineken, Marketing and Brand Manager at East African Breweries Limited, as well as working as a Media Representative at GlaxoSmithKline.
Academically, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology from Makerere University and has earned two Master of Business Administration degrees—one from the University of Edinburgh and another from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University.
